K'Chain Che'Malle
The K'Chain Che'Malle were non-human and one of the founding intelligent races in the Malazan Book of the FallenGardens of the Moon, Glossary, UK MMPB p.705. They had been presumed extinct.Memories of Ice, Glossary, UK MMPB p.1183 The Edur name for them was 'Kaschan'.Midnight Tides, Chapter 3, UK MMPB p.139 Anatomy ] ] The K'Chain Che'Malle were intelligent lizards standing taller than a man, moving bipedally by balancing the weight of their torsos with a tapering tail (much like velociraptors and other bipedal lizards) and pale skin similar to the underbelly of a snake. The K'Chain Che'Malle existed as two breeds, the most noticeable difference being the length of the tail. There were the original long-tails (K'Chain Che'Malle) and the engineered short-tails (K'Chain Nah'ruk). Most of the K'Chain Che'Malle appearing in the novels were undead or seen in visions of the past, though there were a couple of exceptions. The first concerned a single matron freed from imprisonment within the Rent on Genabackis. The second was the appearance of a male and female on the continent of Lether, and the revelation that an entire hive still existed on that same continent. To date the only time they had spoken with other races was with Silchas Ruin in a parley attempt, though it is unclear if the parley actually happened or if Ruin simply sought it. See also * Drone * J'an sentinel * K'ell hunter * Matron * Shi'Gal assassin * Ve'Gath Culture The K'Chain Che'Malle were the first race on the Malazan world to evolve intelligence, and they developed a culture of technological and magical sophistication hundreds of thousands of years before the evolution of hominids. Most knowledge of the K'Chain Che'Malle was retrospective, developed through inspection of their cultural ruins thousands of years after their extinction. As such, it was difficult to state anything definitive about them. It was known that they were eusocially ruled in the manner of ants, with a single female queen (the matron) and thousands of male drones and soldiers. The K'Chain Che'Malle appeared to lack a racial Warren to draw upon, instead employing gravity-based magic that mixed heavily with their technology. They inhabited gigantic structures known as Skykeeps, buildings so large they appeared to be floating mountains. Most Skykeeps were destroyed during the civil war that exterminated their race, though there were a few known Skykeeps remaining during the time of the Malazans. Examples included the one used by the Tiste Andii, Moon's Spawn, the one piloted by the remaining K'Chain Che'Malle on the continent of Lether, and a few others piloted by K'Chain Nah'ruk seen in the Imperial Warren (later destroyed). The Short-Tails were an engineered experiment that broke from the control of the long-tailed matrons due to the Short-Tail's independent nature and resistance of the Queen. This resulted in a civil war between the two breeds. In addition to internal struggle, a massive Tiste invasion occurred and a large-scale war between the K'Chain Che'Malle and Forkrul Assail. These conflicts were supposed to have destroyed their race, though at least two matrons and a number of others survived until the events that occured during the Malazan Book of the Fallen (see Anatomy for more details). Interaction with the Malazan Empire In Memories of Ice The first interaction between the Malazan Empire and the K'Chain Che'Malle occurred at Coral, in a battle between the T'lan Imass, Malazan forces, and the Barghast versus the undead K'ell Hunters of the long-tailed K'Chain Che'Malle and the forces of the Pannion Domin. The undead versions were slower and more resistant to normal, mortal pain. In Dust of Dreams The second interaction involved Gesler and Stormy aiding the only remaining hive, Acyl nest, and fighting successfully against some remaining K'Chain Nah'ruk. It was revealed that Gunth'an Acyl, the reigning Matron, sacrificed herself to create an army of K'Chain Che'Malle. Where a normal Matron would only birth several hundred Che'Malle, she brought over twenty-thousand into the world in a short time. The exhaustive act of restoring her race broke her sanity and she perished before the battle, leaving her daughter Gunth Mach as the last living Matron of the Che'Malle. Gunth'an Acyl named Kalyth Destriant of the K'Chain Che'Malle. Gesler and Stormy were kidnapped from the middle of the Bonehunters camp and named as Mortal Sword and Shield Anvil respectively. With their aid, and that of Sinn and Grub, the Che'Malle defeated the 'Nah'ruk. In The Crippled God The Che'Malle army accompanied the alliance of Bolkando, Letherii, Perish, Malazan, and Barghast east to fight in the Battle of the Spire. They were one of the primary forces attacking the Kolanse Spire alongside the other elder races: reborn T'lan Imass and living Jaghut against the Forkrul Assail. Notes and References pl:K'Chain Che'Malle Category:K'Chain Che'Malle Category:Founding races Category:Races